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Couple reflects on their COVID-19 experience

They say nothing in life is guaranteed and for one Thermopolis couple, that sentiment became a shocking reality when one was faced with a life or death case of COVID-19.

Kay Wiecki and Randy Wahler went in for a COVID test on Wednesday, November 11 when Kay found herself coughing and Randy had something of a head cold. The pair thought it best to get checked, just to be sure.

At that time they both took the rapid test as well as the test that is sent to the state, the one that goes up the nose. The rapid test was negative.

Kay found herself getting sicker and sicker, and three days later, Saturday, Nov. 14, Randy called an ambulance to take her to the hospital. They took another rapid test that came back negative and then a third one, which came back positive.

By Monday, the results of the test through the state were back and both had tested positive.

Kay said she does not remember anything from the time she was admitted to the hospital on Saturday night. "I am so grateful for the medical care here."

Randy said the doctors started Kay on six liters of oxygen when she first checked into the hospital.

Twenty-four hours later her lungs had filled with fluid and the oxygen was upped to 50 liters. Next was a ventilator and oxygen pushed to 60 liters.

It was time to get her out of Thermopolis and up to Billings for more intensive care.

In order to get her to Billings Kay had to be anesthetized to keep her from moving around in the fixed wing craft, possibly jarring the oxygen loose.

Once in Billings she was placed in an induced coma and her oxygen increased to 70 liters. Her daughter flew in from Dallas and her son raced to Billings from Worland.

Things were not looking hopeful.

Measure of Faith

The couple has a strong relationship with their church and God, and firmly believe in the power of prayer working miracles.

Randy found himself on his knees praying for a miracle when something told him he needed help. Others were praying, of course, but more prayers meant more power and more power was sure to bring that miracle.

Through social media, a massive prayer chain was started, "If everyone could pray for Kay at 4 p.m. on Friday, he would be most grateful." The request was shared over and over to thousands of people across the world.

Within hours of the mass prayer, Kay's oxygen intake was dropped from 70 liters to 40 liters. Three days later she was completely off the ventilator. By the time she was ready to come home she was down to just four liters.

They were so humbled that so many people had done so much, prayed so hard.

While she doesn't remember anything of the actual hospital stay, Kay does remember the things she witnessed while she was in the induced coma.

"Everything was just black," she said. "I heard a doctor say, 'she's not going to make it', and it made me so mad. I was determined to live!"

At times, in her coma, she felt as if she were hog-tied. She felt she was coughing so hard she was nearly falling down. This is when Kay said she could see the devil himself, his head bigger than a bushel basket, gnarly face and black hair, just staring at her in the corner of her vision.

Another time she saw her mother standing with Jesus on the bank of a creek she remembers from her childhood.

"My mother kept waving to me," Kay said, "telling me I couldn't quit."

Home again

Four weeks and three days later Kay was allowed to come home to Thermopolis where she has been spending time doing therapy. When she first arrived home two weeks ago she was tired and very weak, but now is gaining strength back in her arms and legs.

She is going to spend a lot of time building up her lungs, however, and is still on a few liters of oxygen at home.

"I had the best care," she said. "Everyone treated me like a person, like they were proud to take care of me. There were 40 others in ICU in the same condition I was and these people were putting their lives and the lives of their families in danger to care for me."

While Randy may never know why he had a milder case of COVID, he believes it was because he has been on immunotherapy treatments for cancer.

 

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